Apple updates pitch to convince Android users to switch

Apple has unleashed a new weapon against Google to win over consumers using Android handsets. The Cupertino firm has launched a ‘Switch from Android’ website and a series of 16-second videos on its YouTube channel that essentially works as a FAQ for Android users, explaining how it thinks that iPhones and iOS are superior. Apple’s previous campaign targeted at Android users focused more on the ‘Move to iOS’ app – which helps transfer data from one OS to the other – rather than providing information on the iPhone itself. The new site, while promising that “life is easier on iPhone”, not only mentions the Move to iOS app, but also has snippets of information on the camera, processor, Apple’s privacy policy, default messaging app and the company’s commitment to protect the environment. Life can always be better Apple tactfully doesn’t say consumers should switch to the iPhone 7 or the 7 Plus. Instead, the colorful website, with its clever little animations, shows all the models currently available to buy. Apple is even giving Android users the chance to trade in their old phones to earn up to US$260 in credit. Apple has seen a growth in the number of consumers switching to iPhones, as CEO Tim Cook is wont to remind everyone during the company’s earnings calls. "We saw the largest absolute number of switchers outside of Greater China that we've ever seen in the same period," MacRumors reported Apple CEO Tim Cook as saying. Ready to switch? You could wait a while and get the iPhone 8. Read the latest news, rumors and find out when it will be released here.

Apple Begs Android Users to Switch to iPhone

Apple is ramping up its efforts to entice Android users over to the dark side. Or, to put it slightly less melodramatically, from Android to iOS. The company has launched a new website prodding Android users to wake up and smell the coffee Siri is brewing like a digital hipster. Android and iOS are the only two mobile operating systems that matter. And while Android has the upper hand in most parts of the world, in the U.S. Apple still reigns supreme. Google has been tempting people to switch from iOS to Android for a while, but now the roles are being reversed. Apple vs. Android: Buy the Ecosystem, Not the Gadget Apple vs. Android: Buy the Ecosystem, Not the Gadget You love your Android phone and want to buy a tablet. Everyone tells you the iPad is the best tablet, and it really is the best; but you should still buy an Android tablet. READ MORE From iOS to Android to iOS to Android Having already launched an app called Move to iOS to accommodate Android users switching to iOS, Apple has now launched a website too. The goal, to persuade Android users to switch to iOS, is the same, but the methods have changed slightly. Because this feels… friendlier, somehow. On its new Switch from Android to iPhone website, Apple asks (and answers) 10 questions. These are designed to gently persuade the average Android user to make the leap across to iOS. In order to do so, Apple explains how easy it is to switch, and extols the many virtues of iPhones. Apple talks up the camera, the chipset, the regular iOS updates, the user-friendliness, the privacy protocols, the Messaging app, Apple Support, and Apple Stores as reasons to switch. It then reveals the fact that 97 percent of iPhone owners are satisfied (or very satisfied) with their devices. If that little lot isn’t enough to persuade you to switch from Android to iOS, Apple is offering up to $260 in credit when you trade in your current smartphone. Oh, and there’s also the set of five new videos revealing why the iPhone is superior to your crappy Android device. Apple Needs to Stop the iPhone Sales Rot This is an admission that Android is now number one. Apple has recently seemed happy to coast along, knowing it has loyal fans likely to stick with the company through thick and thin. Now, it’s actually putting some effort in, which Apple knows it needs to do to stop the rot. Android Now Powers 9 Out of 10 Smartphones Android Now Powers 9 Out of 10 Smartphones The mobile operating system war is now over. And Android won. Because while Apple still sells shedloads of iPhones, 9 of 10 smartphones sold around the world is now powered by Android. READ MORE Apple is obviously doing very well, with billions of dollars in the bank, and huge profits swelling its coffers every year. However, iPhone sales are down, with Android in the ascendency, so Apple clearly needs to up its game in order to remain in the lofty position it currently inhabits. Do you currently own an iPhone or an Android? What made you choose one over the other? Have you switched from iPhone to Android? Or from Android to iPhone? Why did you switch?Are Apple’s overtures likely to win you back? Please let us know in the comments below!

ANDROID INSTANT APPS AND PROGRESSIVE WEB APPS LOAD INSTANTLY ON YOUR PHONE

No more cluttering your phone with one-off apps — Google's Instant Apps will load when you need them without taking up space. Every company has an app. Want to buy a camera? Buy one through B&H’s app. Want to refill your parking meter? Download the app and make sure your car doesn’t get towed. Sure, some of these actions can be done via a mobile site, but they don’t always offer the best user experience — and most people don’t want to install an app for a one-time scenario, like when you visit a museum or want to pay for parking. That’s why Android will soon be able to open apps without the need for users to install them. It’s called Android Instant Apps, and it launched in limited preview on Wednesday at Google’s I/O developer conference. Google took the wraps off Instant Apps last year, at I/O 2016. But it formally announced an Instant Apps software development kit (SDK) at a session on Google’s Mountain View campus in May. (Developers using Google’s Android Studio 3.0 Canary 1 preview should get it today.) It’s available on the “latest Android devices” in more than 40 countries starting today. Instant Apps work by downloading only the parts of the app that are needed — when you tap a URL, it appears to launch instantly. This way, rather than having to download and keep the B&H retail app installed on your device, you’ll be able to access it via a link any time you browse through or decide to purchase a camera. Instant Apps go hand-in-hand with Google’s Progressive Web Apps (PWA) effort. In the coming months, users will be able to add a link to PWAs — web apps that behave like native apps, in essence — to their device home screens, app drawers, settings menu, and notifications. They’re under 1MB in size — 10-20 times smaller than the average Android app. Google Play product manager Ellie Powers said that the company’s partners (including HotPads, Jet, the New York Times, Vimeo, and One Football) have launched 50 instant apps so far, and that some had seen double-digit increases in purchases and videos watched as a result. “As a developer, you won’t need to build a new, separate app,” according to the Android blog post. “It’s the same Android APIs, the same project, the same source code. You’ll simply update your existing Android app to take advantage of Instant Apps functionality. In fact, it can take less than a day to get up and running for some developers, though the effort involved will vary depending on how your app is structured.” If you do want to keep the app, you’ll be able to download it via a button in the Instant App. Developers will have to upgrade their existing apps to implement Android Instant App’s features — but it can only be a boon for both developers and consumers. Developers get free advertising for their apps, which people may have never known existed. And users will be able to gain a fast, well-designed experience specific to mobile. You also won’t have to re-enter your credit card information to make payments in Android Instant Apps, unlike how you would have to if you installed the app outright. For people who can’t have too many power-hungry apps due to using an older device, this is also a solid benefit since it’s one less app to have installed. Google demoed the integration through a device running Android KitKat. Android Instant Apps works through Google Play, so it will only work on devices that have Google Play Services enabled — that rules out devices in China and Amazon’s Android tablets. Article originally published May 2017. Updated on 05-17-2017 by Kyle Wiggers: Added news of Android Instant Apps SDK launch and Progressive Web Apps.

Google brings Smart Replies to Gmail on iOS and Android

When Google launched Inbox, its more experimental next-gen email client for Gmail, one of its flagship features was Smart Reply. With Smart Reply, Google’s machine learning algorithms look at your incoming emails and then suggest short, three- or four-word replies (think “Sure” or “Yes, thank you”). Until now, this feature was only available in Inbox and the Allo messenger, but as the company announced today, it’s now also coming to Gmail for iOS and Android. Unsurprisingly, this feature works exactly like you would expect it. Just like in Inbox, when you reply to an email, Smart Reply now appears at the bottom of the screen and offers you up to three potential replies. You can also start your reply with the Smart Reply option and then edit it or add more context. In my experience, Smart Reply often works quite well and has only improved since launch. When it goes wrong, it’s often pretty comical, but given that you never have to rely on it, that doesn’t really matter. This feature is now rolling out globally in English, with support for Spanish coming in the next few weeks.

Google Actions expand to Android and iPhone

Actions on Google – the voice-activated apps that are Google’s answer to Alexa’s Skills – are expanding to the new platforms of iOS and Android, the company announced at its I/O developer conference this afternoon. Currently, Actions are available on Google Home devices. The company had promised earlier that Actions would be available on Google’s Pixel smartphones and within its Allo chat application, but this expansion will dramatically increase their reach. The company had announced earlier in the keynote that it has 2 billion users on Android, for example. And Google is now launching is Assistant on iOS, it also said today. In addition, Google’s Valerie Nygaard said that Actions will support transactions, allowing for things like purchases by voice. Actions allow users to interact with developers’ apps, by speaking to the Google Assistant with a phrase like “OK Google, talk to…,” followed by the app’s name. This is different from Alexa’s Skills, which have to first be enabled through your smartphone or by voice commands For example, you can ask the Google Assistant to order you an Uber or play your favorite music from Pandora, among other things. The expansion comes nearly half a year after Google opened up access to Google Assistant to developers who wanted to build voice apps for its platform. But at the time of the December announcement of that move, these voice-based Actions could only run on the connected speaker, and Echo competitor, Google Home. Google’s late arrival to the connected speaker market has given Amazon and its line of Echo speakers the lead. According to a forecast from eMarketer released earlier this month, Amazon will have nearly 71 percent of all voice-enabled speaker users in the U.S. in 2017, well ahead of Google Home’s 23.8 percent share. That’s why it makes sense that Google is leveraging its other platforms to attract developer interest in the space.